Cyclone Fiona 'unprecedented' devastation in Canada

    photo:reuters

The breadth of the damage caused by the powerful storm Fiona that ravaged Canada's Atlantic coast on Saturday has never been seen before, and it will take months to rebuild the critical infrastructure that was destroyed, Canada's emergency preparedness minister Bill Blair said on Sunday.

"The scale of what we're dealing with, I think it's unprecedented," Blair told Reuters in a telephone interview when asked how Fiona compared to Dorian, a storm that struck the region around Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2019.

"It's like a complete war zone," said Brian Button, mayor of Port aux Basques, one of the hardest hit towns on the southwest tip of Newfoundland with just over 4,000 residents. "We have one missing person," Button told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC).

So far, there have been no verified fatalities.

On Saturday, Fiona hit eastern Canada, causing evacuations due to wind gusts of up to 170 km/h (106 miles per hour).

Button said it may take months to get some people back in their homes in Port aux Basques after an apartment building and more than 20 homes were destroyed or dragged into the sea by the storm surge.

Although the full extent of Fiona's destruction is not yet known, the storm may end up being one of Canada's most expensive natural disasters.
Fiona's impact on climate change has not yet been assessed by scientists, but in general, hurricanes are becoming wetter, windier, and more violent as a result of global warming.

According to Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, the Canadian federal government will deploy the armed forces on Sunday to help clear fallen trees and debris, which will allow crews to restore power.

The troops and equipment are being dispatched today after the province of Nova Scotia requested them help clear debris on Saturday. According to Blair, talks regarding federal assistance are also ongoing with other provinces.

Fiona, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre, had the lowest storm pressure ever to touch down in Canada. Dorian struck the area of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2019, blowing down a construction crane and cutting power. On the other hand, Fiona seems to have significantly damaged at least five provinces.

On Sunday, Blair remarked, "I think it's unparalleled the size of what we're dealing with."

Restoration of some of the crucial infrastructure, including homes, buildings, and roofs that have been blown off community centres and schools, will take many months, he predicted.

On Sunday, hundreds of people were still without electricity in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Newfoundland, Quebec, and New Brunswick.

Tim Houston, the premier of Nova Scotia, told the CBC that Fiona will end up having done the greatest damage of any storm that the province had experienced.

Authorities issued a warning on Saturday that it could take weeks in certain situations for crucial services to fully recover.

According to a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had scheduled a meeting of his emergency response team for Sunday to plan the government's response.

According to Dennis King, premier of PEI, "we do know that the devastation is very severe, perhaps possibly the worst we have ever seen."

"Islanders should be aware that the rehabilitation process could take weeks or more. It will be a full-court press effort "Added he.

If the country's C$3.2 billion lobster business is not fully recovered before the season begins in a few weeks, the storm also seriously damaged fishing harbours in Atlantic Canada.

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's minister of intergovernmental affairs, said on Saturday that once the storm has passed, "those fishermen have a real pressing need to be able to access their livelihood."